Terracer-grader



C. W. CUNDIFF TERRACER-GRADER March 2, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 1947 C. W. CUNDIFF TERRACER-GRADER March 2, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1947 INVENTOR. 6% OI/Ea' A! (21/7/04 March 2, 1954 c, w. CUNDIFF 2,670,552

TERRACER-GRADER Filed May 16, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 2, .1954

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TERRACER-GRADER Charles William Cundiff, Owensboro, Ky.

Application May 16, 1947, Serial No. 748,524

1 Claim.

In the past, many slightly varying forms of ditchers and graders have been provided, including those disclosed in my Patents No. 2,261,874 of November 4, 1941, and No. 2,266,625 of -December 16, 1941. I

While these ditchers and graders have proved to be very satisfactory, I have found that it is often desirable to provide a ditcher and grader mechanism which can be adjusted so that the scraping blade may be readily slanted to be in a plane other than the plane in which the wheels for the machine are positioned.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a ditcher and grader mechanism of the construction whereby a scraping blade may be adjusted to be at any desired angle relative to the plane of the wheels.

A further object of my invention is to provide a ditcher and grader mechanism constructed so that the scraping blade may be tilted in a desired degree.

A further object of my invention is to provide a ditcher grader mechanism constructed so that the slant of the scraping blade may be adjusted at any desired angle and the position of the blade relative to the axial center of the ditcher grader mechanism may be angularly positioned as desired.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the scraping blade angularly positioned and at a slant from horizontal;

Figure 2 is a view in rear elevation;

Figure 3 is a plan view;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail showing the mechanism for controlling the blade both angularly and horizontally;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the seat;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the blade hanger;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the mechanism for controlling the angular position of the blade; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail in rear elevation showing a wheel.

My ditcher grader is partially conventional in its form, having a single front wheel It and two rear wheels [2, the three wheels being arranged so that the ditcher grader will be substantially triangular in plan view, as clearly Figure 3 disclosed in The wheels Ill and I2, as referred to above, are

supportedon the main frame I 4 of the ditcher grader which preferably is V-shaped in general commercial construction, the apex thereof being the point at which the front wheel IE} is pivotally secured. The rear wheels l2v are securely affixed to the two legs of the frame M by normal 0-613- struction for supporting an axle as disclosed; more clearly in. Figure 8. Thus, the legs of the frame M are provided preferably with a yoke-shaped member 16 which is bolted thereto and which will provide the necessary bearing space for axles 18 to support the wheels 12.

Beneath the horizontal portion of the frame is, I provide an additional rigid frame-work. 20, preferably made of I-beam construction and which, near the apex thereof, is provided with an arcuate section 22. I

Near the base end of the rigid frame-work 30, I provide suitable upstanding studs 26 to which I pivotally secure links 28. The links 28 are, in turn, pivotally secured to levers 30, which levers are pivotally supported by the frame 14 and may be controlled by conventional ratchet mechanism.

The rigid frame-work 20, on the under-side thereof, is provided with a suitable yoke 32 which forms a guide and a support for an arcuate supporting member 34 to which is secured by suitable hangers 36 a scraper blade 38. The scraper blade 38 is pivotally supported on the hangers 36 in an adjustable manner by links 40 (as shown more clearly in Figure 6).

As explained above, the substantially V-shaped rigid frame 20 is supported near its front end by the pivot pin 42 which is securely held in position in a yoke 44 which, in turn, is pivotally secured to the main frame 14 (see Figures 1 and 7) Thus, by means of the manipulation of levers 30, their links 23 will be raised or lowered and will carry therewith one end of the rigid frame as causing the frame to pivot on the pivot-pin 42. If both levers are operated in the same direction simultaneously, the frame 20 will be raised or lowered, causing the yoke 44 to pivot relative to its connection with the main frame 54.

Under the rigid frame 20 an arcuate supporting member 34' is supported, as explained above, by its passing through the yoke 32 and by being pivoted to a cross-section member 45, securely mounted on the rigid frame 20. The pivot pin 48 provides a support for the arcuate supporting member 34 and the scraper blade hangers 36. Mounted at a convenient place for manipulation of the operator, I provide a foot treadle 50 conveniently secured to the main frame l4 so that by pressing the treadle the rod 52 will be pulled toward the rear of the machine. The rod 52 is pivotally secured to a pin 54 which passes through a suitably secured U-shaped yoke 56 and which has positioned therein a compression spring 58.

As seen more clearly in Figure 7, it will be noted that the pin 54 is substantially L-shaped and is supported by the U-shaped yoke 56. The pin 54 is held spring-urged forwardly in engagement within the notches 24 of the arcuated supporting member 34. Thus, when the treadle is depressed, the rod 52 will be pulled and the pin 54 will likewise be pulled against the force of the compression spring 58 and removed from its engagement within a notch 24 in the arcuate supporting member 34. When the pin 54 is thus removed from the notches 24, the entire blade assembly may be turned clock-wise or counterclock-wise a desired number of degrees until the pin 54 is again allowed to become engaged in a notch 24.

For tilting the scraper blade, the handles 30 may be manipulated to either raise or lower one end of the scraper blade 38, or to, simultaneously raise or lower the scraper blade. Such operation will effect a pivoting of the yoke 44 where it is pivotally secured to the main rigid frame 14.

A suitable seat 60 is provided for the operator of the terracer graders The seat 60 is pivotally secured on an upstanding arm 62 fixed to the scraper frame. For convenience, I provide a spring-urged latch or pin 64 which may be released or engaged as desired to support the seat 60 in a desired angular position to counteract the angular position in which the terracer grader is being used. Thus, the operator may be assured a seat which is substantially horizontal, regardless of the grade upon which the terracer grader is being operated.

I claim:

A terracer-grader including a substantially triangular rigid main frame, a cross member secured to the main frame near its apex, a longitudinally extending spindle horizontally hinged centrally to and beneath said cross member, an underslung scraper-blade carrying frame of trapezoidal form pivotally supported at its apex by said spindle, adjusting levers pivotally mounted on said rigid frame and affixed to said scraperblade carrying frame at the end thereof remote from said spindle, a guide bracket beneath said apex of said scraper-blade carrying frame, an arcuately formed support rotatably suspended beneath said blade carrying frame about a vertical pivot axis longitudinally spaced from said guide bracket, said arcuately formed support being supported in guiding relation by said bracket, and a latch carried by said scraper-blade carrying frame at its apex in opposed relation to said guide bracket and coacting with said arcuately formed support, said latch operable longitudinally of said main frame to maintain said arcuately formed support in adjusted angular position.

CHARLES WILLIAM CUNDIFF.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,193,167 Martin Aug. 1, 1916 1,241,686 Waterman Oct. 2, 1917 2,090,732 Neff et al Aug. 24, 1937 2,197,390 Arndt Apr. 16, 1940 2,266,625 Cundiif Dec. 16, 1941 2,281,224 Baumgartner Apr. 28, 1942 2,309,750 Carrington Feb. 2, 1943 

